2. INTRODUCTION
• What is working Journalist Act ?
This act may be called working journalists and other news paper
employees and miscellaneous provisions act , 1955.
• Sec 25-f of the aforesaid act, in its application to working journalist , shall be
constructed as in CI.
• A thereof , for the period of notice referred to therein in relation to the retrenchment
of a workman, the following periods in relation to the retrenchment of a working
journalist has been substituted, namely -
3. a. Six months, in case of an editor,
b. three months, in case of any other working journalists.
4. TERMINATION OF SERVICE WITHOUT
NOTICE
• Effect thereof-where a journalist was permitted to continue into employment even
after he has attained the age of superannuating.
• But later on his service was transmitted without giving him notice or retrenchment
compensation, it was held by the court that the action of the management of the
company in terminating the service was illegal and improper.
5. SPECIAL PROVISIONS IN RESPECT OF
CERTAIN CASES OF RETRENCHMENT
• Where at any time between 14 July 1954 and 12 march 1955, any working journalist
had been retrenched he shall be entitled to receive from employer –
a) wages for one month at the rate to which he has entitled immediately before his
Retrenchment, unless he has been given one month notice in writing before such
retrenchment; and
b) compensation which shall be equivalent to 15 days average pay for every
completed years of service under that employer or any part thereof in excess of six
months.
6. HOUSE OF WORK
• Subject to any rules that may be made under this act, no working journalists shall
be required or allowed to work in any newspaper establishment for more than 144
hours during any periods of 4 consecutive weeks, exclusive of time for meals.
• Every working journalists shall be allowed during any period of 7 consecutive days
rest for a period of not less than 24 consecutive hours, the period between 10 pm and
6pm being included therein explanation- for the purpose of this section , “week”
means a period of 7 days beginning at midnight on Saturday.
• The maximum hour of work for any period of consecutive weeks is 144 hours.
7. COMPENSATION FOR OVERTIME WORK
• When a working journalists works for more than six hours on any day in the case of
day shift, and more than five and half hours in case of night shift,
• He shall in respect of that overtime work, be compensated in the form of hours of
rest equal in number to the hours for which he has worked overtime.
8. INDIAN JOURNALISTS UNION’S DEMANDS TO
AMEND THE WORKING JOURNALISTS ACT
1. An amendment to make the non-implementation of wage awards a cognizable
offence to ensure that no newspaper management gets away into not to
implementing it.
2. Amendment to increase the age of superannuating from 58 to 60 years.
3. To amend the provisions of gratuity in working journalists act to provide for grant
of gratuity after 5-year service.
4. To make it mandatory for the employers to issue appointment letters to all
mofussil and part-time correspondence.
